


Just For You

by CreativePoptart



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Underfell (Undertale), F/M, M/M, Mages, Other, Reader is an OC, Reader is named, Starts Out Gendered and Ends Gender Neutral, Underfell Grillby (Undertale), Underfell Papyrus (Undertale), Underfell Sans (Undertale), Underfell Undyne
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-12 23:48:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21234608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CreativePoptart/pseuds/CreativePoptart
Summary: A botched shortcut takes Sans somewhere he never expected to be: The Surface. What awaits him is interesting and strange.





	Just For You

The day could not get any worse, or so it seemed to Sans. One minute he was walking through Snowdin Forest, preparing to take a shortcut to Grillby’s bar, and the next, he’s falling from hundreds of feet up in the air into a completely different forest. Sure, he had the occasional mishap when he was trying to shortcut, but  _ this _ was utterly new to him.

He thought that he handled the situation well enough.

“ ** _FUUUUUUUUUUUUU-_ ** ” Sans shrieked at the top of his lungs, arms and legs wheeling wildly to try and slow his descent down in the slightest bit. Before he could finish his totally-manly exclamation, a branch whipped into his non-existent gut and prevented him from speaking. As the forest floor came rapidly up at him, Sans felt as though all of it was beating upon his bones, slapping him around and jostling him.

_ Whelp, I guess this is how the skeleton falls, eh? Tibia honest, I thought that I’d dust in a different way than this, but I’m a little too rattled right now to think of anything except how much this  _ ** _hurts_ ** _ !! _

With the ground rushing up to him too fast, Sans reached out for his magic to try and assist him. However, he was unable to make a correct judgment about how far away it was to stop himself from hitting it on the fly. Even in the throes of potentially dying, Sans found himself still capable of making puns, and it made him just the faintest bit proud. For a moment, he considered himself lucky to be dying where he wouldn’t be seen by his brother or anyone else at home.

Right before he made contact with the ground, he was jolted to a halt, a warm aura surrounding him like a tight blanket. Sans blinked, surprised that he hadn’t hit the ground, and turned his skull around a few times to try and see what saved him. From what little he could see with his nasal ridge three inches from the dirt, he could see a figure standing off to the side, their hands and eyes glowing brightly.

Before he could get a look at the color of the glow or who it was that had saved his bony behind, a heavy blow landed on the backside of his skull and rendered him unconscious, swaddling him in a darkness he reluctantly welcomed. 

…

_ “Come on, Sans! I know that you can make bones for fighting, why won’t you show me how to do it?” Papyrus folded his arms indignantly over his ribcage, scowling furiously up at his older brother. Sans let out a chuckle and patted the top of his brother’s head, then summoned a small bone to show him. Instantly the sour look on Papyrus’ face dissolved and turned into one of awe and wonder, clinging to his brother’s arm. Sans passed over the bone for his little brother to hold, then took a small step back. _

_ “I can show you, sure,” he responded with a shrug. “It’s gonna take some energy from yer soul, and a lot of concentration. ‘re you sure you can handle how much it’s gonna take outta you, Lil’ bro?” Sans tossed a wink at the end of his question, grinning at the way that the smaller skeleton stamped his foot on the ground. _

_ “Of course, I can handle it, Sans!” Papyrus screeched, making the small amount of untamped snow around him float off the ground for another moment more. “Stop stalling and show me how to make a bone attack!!” _

_ Sans laughed and took the bone in his hand, showing Papyrus the basic shape for most bones, telling him how to feel for the energy of it in his soul. To his brother’s credit, he was making valiant efforts towards the production of even a single bone. There were several times when he was very close to getting it down, only to have it dissolve in his hands moments before completion. Papyrus was getting disheartened by his lack of success, and Sans was not having that happen. _

_ “C’mon, bro,” he said with a gentle nudge to his brother’s shoulder. “You’re the best and the coolest, so there’s nothin’ that can stop you, right?” Papyrus seemed to perk up a little at the encouragement, then held out his hands in front of him, concentrating again. After a moment, light blue magic swirled into his hands, solidifying into the shape of a small bone, glowing faintly with remnants of the color of Papyrus’ magic. _

_ “I DID IT, SANS!!” Papyrus cried, jumping up and down, beaming brightly and shining with energy. “I MADE MY FIRST BONE!! I MADE MY FIRST BONE!!” Sans laughed as he caught his little bro into a tight hug, spinning him around once with the momentum of his brother’s jumping. He quickly set the smaller skeleton down and smiled genuinely at him, patting his shoulder. _

_ “Ya sure did, bro! I’m proud ’a ya!” Papyrus smiled even more at Sans’ words if that were even possible. Then the world fell into darkness again, the bright, youthful smile of his younger brother fading out of his mind’s eye… _

_ … _

Sans jolted upwards out of his dream so suddenly that he flung himself out of his bed and landed squarely on the hardwood flooring. A wave of confusion suddenly hit him, and for a moment, he was aware that “his bed” smelled more floral than usual, and his room usually had carpeting. A pattering of feet alerted him to another presence in the room, and he snapped his skull towards the sound.

A woman stood there, wearing a loose blouse and a pair of blue jeans, her hair pulled away from her face, and an oddly blank look on her face. Before she could say or do anything, Sans sent a wave of bones at her in defense, trying to get the potential threat away from him. The woman raised her hand and flicked it to the side, sending the bones askew into the wall and dissipating. Powerful magic buzzed in the air between the two of them, and for a moment, Sans was terrified.

Now that he was taking a more careful look at the woman, he could see that on her right hand were two rings, one on her thumb and the other on her middle finger, and a single ring on her left hand on the ring finger. Her feet were bare and clean, and her eyes were glowing faintly with a golden yellow color, as well as the ring on her middle finger. The woman raised her right hand again, and Sans felt his body lift itself off the floor and back into the bed, the magic wrapping him tight enough to restrain him, but not enough to hurt.

“You’re injured,” the woman said, her voice smooth and surprisingly sage for someone who looked no older than him. “You fell quite far from the sky, and some of the thicker branches managed to break your ribs and your left ulna. I recommend that you need to stay in bed and not to get up for now.”

“An’ why exactly should I listen t’ you?” he questioned sharply despite feeling the sharp sting in his ribs at getting up so violently earlier. “I don’ even know who you are, an’ you’ve done nothin’ t’ prove to me that I can exactly trust ya.” The woman raised an eyebrow, folding her arms quietly over her chest and leaning up against the doorframe. 

“You can call me Justice,” she said, the yellow glow from her eyes never really fading, and Sans clued in that it must be her soul color. “And you should listen because you are going to make your ribs worse by getting up all the time. I’ll bring you something to eat.” With that, she walked out of the room and padded away softly, leaving Sans propped up on a few pillows. He took a moment to look around the place he was currently in while he waited for Justice to return.

It was a small room, fairly cozy, and clean, and the walls painted a faint color of blue and bare of any paintings or pictures. There was a small dresser left of the bed, and Sans was situated against the wall furthest from the doorway, feet extended towards the door. That aside, there seemed to be a small closet to his right, and trim lining the ceiling and floor. The room was plain and simple, but very lovely and almost refreshing.

A soft knock came from the doorway, and Sans’ attention quickly snapped back to the door to see Justice with a bowl of something in hand. She stepped in and sat down on the left side of the bed, placing the bowl down on the dresser top before she looked at him. Her right hand came up and gently hovered over his forehead, making Sans tense up. 

A gentle yellow glow that reminded him of a warm-colored night-light emanated from her palm, scanning his magic carefully. Justice let out a hum, her glowing yellow eyes half-lidded as she focused on whatever it was she was doing. Eventually, she tapped his forehead with the pad of her middle finger, pulling a thin string of red magic from him. Instantly he tried to sit up, ready to fight her for taking it from him.

“The hell ‘re you doin’?” he snapped, though her left hand pressed gently on his sternum to push him back onto the pillows. “Put that back! Ya can’t just go takin’ my magic from me! Who the hell do you think you are??” 

Justice didn’t respond, instead taking the small string of magic and placing it gently into the bowl on the dresser while keeping her hand pressed to his chest. For a moment, the contents of the container, a soup it seemed from this angle, glowed the exact color of his magic before it faded out into the usual coloration. The woman scooped up the steaming bowl and dipped a spoon into it, holding out the spoon to his mouth.

“Eat,” she urged gently, her face still relatively blank. “I infused it with your magic so that it would be easier to absorb into your body’s magical composition. There is a touch of healing magic there, but that is not my specialty, so this is the best I can do for now.” 

Sans eyed the spoon warily, scowling at the fact that Justice was trying to feed him by her hand. His left arm was throbbing horribly at this point, but that didn’t make him any less stubborn than he usually was. Instead of taking the spoon into his mouth, he turned his head with a scoff, ignoring how good it smelled.

“I’m not eatin’ if yer gonna treat me like a damn babybones,” he grumbled, wishing he could fold his arms for effect. “I can feed m’ self, y’ know?” Justice did not comment, instead carefully shifting the bowl to rest as close to the edge of the dresser as possible before she stood up from the side of the bed.

“Alright,” she said, then turned and headed towards the door. “If you need anything, do not hesitate to call for me, I stay here at home most times, and should be able to hear you from almost anywhere.” She exited swiftly, her soft footsteps padding away into the distance with a quiet grace. Sans released a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, then realized the dilemma he had put himself into.

The bowl was on his left side, and the arm of said side was currently broken and bound in a sling. He took a moment to have the presence of mind to curse his stubborn tenacity, but quickly tried to reach for his magic instead. It was weaker than it should have been, and he could feel it was unsteady, but Sans managed to eat about half of the bowl before it fizzled out on him. Thankfully the spoon ended up being empty when it dropped, but it was still disappointing that he couldn’t finish the food.

Not that he would admit it, but the food was delicious, and his magic strengthened by whatever she did with that small strand was terrific. He couldn’t use it as of right now, but he could feel it beginning to pulsate strongly in is soul, swirling around. Sans leaned back on the pillows as comfortable as he could get with cracked ribs and a broken arm. Justice was… interesting, to say the least, and very mysterious indeed. 

A yawn made its way out of his mouth, and Sans found himself falling back into the waves of sleep. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he could see Justice making her way back into the room and taking the soup off the dresser. He was too tired at the moment to be able to focus on what he saw, though, and allowed sleep to take his mind over.

When he woke up from his surprisingly dreamless sleep, Justice was fiddling with something on the dresser next to him. Her expression was still somewhat blank, but there was a small scrunch between her brows in concentration. Upon a second look, it seemed as though she was messing with a small pestle and mortar, grinding something up and adding touches of magic into it. 

“Heya,” he murmured, catching her attention. “What’re you doin’ this time, makin’ somethin’ that’ll steal more of m’ magic? Or are ya gettin’ ready to kill me with some magic herb or-?”

“I am making a poultice for your wounds,” she stated, as though it should have been evident to him. “Some of the marrow was exposed to the air and could get infected if left just to heal on its own, and that could kill you or make you very ill.” Sans was mildly impressed that she knew how to take care of that sort of thing in the first place but made no immediate question to it.

Justice came over to his bedside and took his arm in her hands slowly and gently. Even the slight movement jostled the broken bone, which made Sans hiss in pain through his teeth. She was unfazed by his suffering, though she kept her actions from moving the bones too much as she delicately unwrapped his arm from the sling. Sans had seen a lot of wounds in his time, so he wasn’t bothered by the fact that he was going to see a broken bone.

Much to his surprise, it looked better than he expected, with a clean break that was already showing some signs of improvement. Sans was tempted to touch it even though he knew a whole lot better than to give in to that urge. Justice, on the other hand, made sure that she had her hands all over the break, smearing the sharp scented poultice right over the wound on all sides. Sans let out a hiss of pain at the touch, despite it being rather gentle-natured.

“Watch it, Justice!” he snarled, though she didn’t react to his snappiness. Instead, she continued to work, though he did notice that the woman was doing her best to be gentle with the exposed wound. Once the fresh bit of poultice was placed, she pulled clean bandages out of a drawer and set about to rewrap his ulna with care.

Through the rest of the process, after yelling at her for causing him pain, Sans sat quietly and watched. The movements of Justice’s hands were careful, practiced, but at the same time, incredibly tense. She had mentioned that she wasn’t skilled with healing magic, but this was more than he had in a long time. The Underground wasn’t necessarily a kind place to him or other monsters, so he had gradually gotten used to pain, though broken bones to this degree were less frequent. 

When she finished with Sans’ ulna, Justice moved to check on his ribs. While Sans would typically be inclined to make a joke of some sort, the near-immediate pressure on his bones caused whatever he was going to say to turn into a wheeze. There was not enough time for him to say anything afterward, as Justice merely placed some extra poultice on a few ribs, then wrapped them as well. 

“I’ll bring you something to eat,” she said, then stood from her spot on the side of the bed. Before she could get far, Sans leaned over and tried to grab her sleeve, making her stop and look back at him. He cleared his metaphorical throat and looked away, scratching the back of his skull awkwardly as she waited for what he wanted to say.

“Could… Could ya bring me som’ more o’ that soup you gave me last night?” he asked slowly, hating how his voice sounded a bit too weak for his liking. Justice’s expression and manner didn’t change, but she gave a short nod and made her way out of the room. A short while later, she came back with the same soup from yesterday, heated to steaming. As she went to set it down on the dresser, Sans cleared his throat again.

“I, eh, I can’t get the soup myself if it’s on the dresser,” he mumbled, upset that he even had to ask this. “Could ya… maybe….” 

He let his sentence trail off, not wanting to admit that he needed help from someone he barely knew. Thankfully, he didn’t have to say it, as Justice sat back down at his side on the bed, bowl still in hand. She repeated the same thing she had done yesterday, infusing his magic back into the soup, then mixed it around and offered him a spoonful. Though it felt degrading to be hand-fed, Sans wasn’t verbally complaining, especially since it tasted so good. 

Justice made no mention of how he was blushing like crazy but instead continued to feed him silently. Sans was a little unnerved by the fact that she wasn’t saying anything but took some small measure of comfort that she wasn’t teasing him. Once the bowl was empty, she gently pressed on his forehead to set him back against the pillows he was resting on. 

“Get some more sleep, you’ll feel a bit better when you wake up,” she urged gently and placed the bowl and spoon on the dresser next to him. “We can see tomorrow if your ribs have healed enough to allow you to get up and move around a bit.” 

Sans was surprisingly too tired to care that he had just woken up and was being told to nap again. Instead of protesting what Justice was telling him, he shifted down into the comfortable little nest he had on the bed. As Sans watched, Justice removed the bowl and wandered back out of the room, casting a look over her shoulder at him. For the barest moment, he thought that she had some glimmer of… something in her eye, but she vanished before he could get a proper look. 

For as little time that Sans spent awake, he went through the same routine with Justice every time he was awake. She would make a poultice for his bones, unwrap and rewrap the injuries, bring him food, and leave him to rest. It became a routine of sorts, though he had no idea how long he was lying there in the bed, as there were no windows in the room for him to tell the time, nor a clock. 

After what felt like far too long, Justice determined that Sans’ ribs had healed enough that he could get up from the bed. Just in time, too, as he was starting to feel extremely lethargic and antsy to get moving once more. She helped him get out of bed and stretch his legs, but aside from that allowed him to get his bearings on his own. 

Sans managed to make his way out of the bedroom and wandered around the house a little, trying to scope out the place. Justice’s house was rather small and clean, with only two other rooms aside from his own in a hallway. Outside of the corridor was a small living room with a couch, a coffee table, and a large bookshelf covering the most massive wall. Across from the bookshelf was the entryway to what he assumed was the kitchen, and based on the smell wafting from it, he was correct. 

Justice walked into the kitchen, Sans trailing behind her slowly. His arm was still bound up, but now he was able to be mobile, and that alone was something he felt was great for him. She stood over by the stove, stirring the pot with a spoon using her magic to turn the spoon, and checking something in an open cookbook. The secondary display of magic was impressive, as Justice didn’t even have to look at what she was doing.

Dinner, based on the color of the sky that he could see from the kitchen windows, was served shortly, and this time Justice didn’t pull any magic from him. The meal was a stew this time in a hearty broth with plenty of vegetables, and just like the soups before, it smelled amazing. As they sat down, albeit somewhat awkwardly, to eat at the table, Sans took a moment to collect his thoughts, knowing that he had questions. As he opened up his mouth to speak, though, Justice spoke first.

“I understand that you have a lot of questions for me,” she stated, which made Sans want to snark at her with a sarcastic remark. “I will answer some of them, and I will ask you some of my own, but I cannot answer all of your questions for you. I have my reasons, just as you will have your own.”

“What are you, a damn psychic?” he quipped, a sneer pulling his mouth sideways. “But yer right, I do have some questions for ya. First off, who the hell are you?” Justice folded her hands neatly on the tabletop, the glowing yellow of her eyes pinning him to his seat.

“My name is Justice,” she answered. “And I am a mage. One of the original seven who sealed your kind into the Underground thousands of years ago.” Instantly Sans was ready to fight, leaping to his feet and summoning sharp bones to his side. Justice didn’t move, but she exuded no nervousness or displeasure about his sudden aggressiveness towards her. Instead, she lifted her right hand, the yellow gem of her ring glowing, and gestured downwards with her index finger.

Almost immediately, Sans’ legs buckled back into the seat, though his bones remained hovering nearby. Another wave of Justice’s hand dispelled them as well, and for a moment, Sans was terrified of the woman sitting across from him. She was potent, more powerful than he could ever imagine if she could get rid of his magic just like that, all with the flick of her finger. She could dust him quickly, but why had she been taking such good care of him then, treating his wounds and keeping him healthy?

It didn’t make sense, but he hoped she would fix that.

“I realize that I am not the most trustworthy person in your mind now,” she mused quietly, her hands returning to their folded positions. “But if I had wanted to kill you, I would have had multiple opportunities to do so, and yet I haven’t done that. So I would like to explain to you exactly what happens with the mages that you have come to hate so much.”

“Start talkin’ then,” he growled, angry that she had used her magic on him, though he was scared. “Why would you save me, especially if your kind ‘s the same that wanted us t’ be locked in th’ Underground?” Justice sighed heavily, and for the first time since he had seen her, Sans noticed emotion on her face. Something that was twisted, guilt perhaps?

“Allow me to tell you about the Council of Mages and exactly how we ran things, especially in the days back when we locked monsters in the Underground….”

…

_ Blood. _

_ The scent tainted the air, filling it with a clear reminder of horrors and machinations of the battlefield. Dust was drifting in the breeze nearby, ashen gray flecks of what used to be great monsters, carried on by the wailing, mournful cries of those still left alive. It was gruesome, sickening, a disgusting display of power on humanity’s end. Justice wanted no part of it, yet she was forced to play a role. _

_ The Council was tense, silent, almost as they stood around in the meeting tent, trying to decide the best course of action. All the mages were there, of course, Patience, Kindness, Integrity, Bravery, Perseverance, Justice, and, most notably, Determination. None spoke, all aware they had to make a decision once and for all on monsterkind and humanity's fates. Determination, the unspoken leader of the group, decided to step forward first. He briefly locked eyes with each member of the council, his gaze lingering especially long on Justice’s. _

_ “We have to lock the monsters away so that they never come out and see the light of day again,” he stated firmly. “They have slaughtered hundreds of our kind and have already caused an uproar among humanity. Why not get rid of the threat altogether and keep them locked up for good?” _

_“Tell me, what good keeping an _**_entire race_** _enslaved or trapped will do in keeping humanity safe?” Kindness bellowed in response. “We are capable of every cruelty known, murder our _**_own_** _people, and yet you want us to try and eliminate such a small threat to our peace? These monsters are not creatures of evil! They fight us because _**_we_** _fight _**_them_**_!!” Bravery pounded a fist on the table in a moment of rage, making the poor mage flinch._

_ “Tell that to all the people who  _ ** _died_ ** _ today, Kindness!” she roared back. “Tell that to their  _ ** _families_ ** _ !! Could you honestly face them right now and tell them that we’re going to let their murderers walk free among us?” Kindness fell silent at that, both angered and conflicted at Bravery’s words.  _

_ “Maybe we should calm down and take another look at the situation,” Patience suggested calmly, Integrity nodding her head nearby. “We haven’t considered other options for nearly as long, and we can take the time to-” _

_ “The people grow impatient,” Perseverance piped up, arms folded across his chest. “They can’t keep going like this, and they want us to hurry up and make our decision about whether we will continue to fight or to give in. We need to decide, and we need to do it  _ ** _soon, _ ** _ or they will turn us over into dust just like the monsters.”  _

_ An uncomfortable silence fell over the group, and all seemed to eye each other warily, none wanting to make the decision. None wished to condemn or forgive the monsters, hoping that someone else would decide for them all, until suddenly Integrity turned to Justice, looking her directly in the eyes. Slowly, one by one, they all turned to look at her, asking her silently for her opinion as the moral backing of the group.  _

_ As usual, the decisions fell to her for the moralistic approaches to whatever was happening. Since she was the mage most strongly tied to the soul trait of justice, it fell on her head to make known what would be right or wrong. Once upon a time, it had been over more trivial matters. Now, it became matters of mass genocide or enslavement. _

_ “We need to find a better solution than simply locking them up,” she said after a moment’s hesitation, her words measured and calm. “There is no sense in trying to make a hasty decision that will end up getting both sides hurt in the end.” Determination instantly let out a scream of frustration.  _

_ “We can’t wait _ ** _ any longer_ ** _ than we already have!” he shouted, slamming an open palm on the table in front of him. “You’re just stalling because you hate to be anything but a neutral party on any subject! I say that we lock the monsters away from the world and keep them locked up for good!” _

_ Determination’s words rang through the meeting tent with a vivacity that seemed to shake all of their souls. The silence resumed for a few minutes, all parties looking to judge the weight of his words, then Bravery let out a loud sigh, folding her arms back over her chest angrily. _

_ “I… I vote yes as well,” she said, causing all eyes to turn to her immediately. “Monsters need to be put away for good, lock them up.” A wave of chatter filled the air, and all the mages started to argue and debate this decision amongst themselves. Determination sent out a burst of bright red energy from his hands, effectively ending the commotion. _

_ “Enough!” he snapped. “Bravery and I have made our decisions! We’re voting on whether we will lock the monsters away for good or not! Perseverance, what is your decision on the matter?” All eyes turned to the mage, his stance tense and uncertain. _

_ “We have fought long and hard, but we cannot fight much longer, the people we are fighting with are running out of perseverance,” he mused. “My magic can only work so much more with them. They grow tired of fighting. I… I say that we lock up the monsters.” _

_ “Well, I say that we don’t do that!” Kindness cried out, his face angry and outraged. “I vote that we find another way that doesn’t involve putting the monsters away forever! How can we deny them the right to see the sky, to live and roam freely?” Determination rolled his eyes and shook his head. _

_ “We could have guessed that, Kindness,” he snarked at her. “We have four votes out of seven total, Integrity, Patience, Justice, what do you say?”  _

_ “I say no,” Patience responded immediately. “You keep your ways of rushed decisions, and I won’t be a part of this until we can find a better way out of this scenario.” Justice began to nod her agreement when Integrity spoke up, her voice soft and uncertain. _ __   
  


_ “I vote that we do it…,” she whispered. “The monsters have been fighting against us for far too long, and now that we have so few options….” Her sentence trailed off quietly, and Determination was more than happy to fill in the silence. _

_ “Then it’s settled, we have a majority vote, and so we will seal the monsters away from humanity so that they can’t get out. We’ll tell the general first thing in the morning. Go get some rest, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow, and we have to make sure that we can use our magic properly in that time.” _

…

“So why didn’t ya say anythin’ in that moment?” Sans questioned, leaning forward onto the table with his good arm. “Why let this ‘Determination’ guy step all over ya when you disagreed with what he said?”

“He already knew what my opinion of this plan was,” Justice responded calmly, her glowing yellow gaze not leaving his own. “But the Council has a standing rule that if you disagree with a majority vote, then another mage is selected in your stead.” The tone of her voice suddenly turned dark with that sentence, and she glared down at the table for a moment before standing to collect the dishes. 

Despite his curiosity, Sans could tell that that would be the end of the questions from him on that subject. He swallowed what he wanted to say, deciding to allow her to come at him with a question, though the skeleton could very well guess what he was going to hear when Justice finally asked him something. Her glowing yellow eyes turned on him for a moment.

“So how exactly did you come here if all of the monsters were locked Underground?” she questioned softly, her gaze piercing him as she stood by the sink. “The spell we placed on the Barrier was powerful enough to last for eons, and yet you’re here. What managed to let you out, or has our magic been weakened by some other power we weren’t aware of?” 

“I dunno,” he answered honestly with a shrug. “I was jus’ tryin’ ta shortcut over to m’ bro an’ I ended up fallin’ from the sky. Don’t know what else t’ tell ya, cuz that’s the truth.” Justice eyed him carefully over that statement but didn’t comment on his words, seeming skeptical but accepting. 

The conversation ended on somewhat of a sour note, though something had changed in the air between Justice and himself. For awhile, Sans could almost detect the change, but it dissipated like the morning dew under sunlight as soon as he tried to look. Many things did visibly change in the house, however.

The first significant change was that he was able to notice was that Justice seemed to be more open with him. Nothing too far out of place, but now she was willing to share her duties with him in smaller ways. He would be able to pull things out of cabinets, with or without magic, and help her pull weeds in the garden. Of course, his arm was still healing up so that he couldn’t go very quickly, but it was better than staying in bed in pain all day. 

Justice also allowed her mask of indifference to slide a little more than usual when he was around now. Ever since the day that they had shared some stories about themselves, she had started to grow a little warmer to him. There wasn’t much that could be said, but he did notice that from time to time, a small smile would come to her face when she was working on something. It was an odd show of tenderness that Sans hadn’t expected. 

Months began to pass at a rapid pace, the days blending beautifully. Sans hadn’t the faintest idea of how long he had been with Justice now, but it was almost certainly a year or longer. When he had first fallen, the leaves on the trees were brown and dead, snow covering the ground. That season had gone while he was still in bed, he had seen a single one of it while he was up and about, and according to Justice, they were getting ready to come up upon it again. 

Sans’ arm had long since come out of the sling, and he was more mobile than ever before. Strangely enough, he found he enjoyed living in the little cottage and working on the small farm of the mage. Before he had fallen, there had been an evident hatred of mages instilled into his bones, but now Sans found himself falling in love with one.

There were more nights now that he spent with Justice, sitting by the fireside and laughing together over something he had thought of earlier in the day. As the night began to grow colder, he found himself working more, a concept that had never crossed his mind back in the Underground. The longer he stayed, the less he thought about going back and being trapped under a fake sky. Instead, he wanted to stay here, living with Justice and making sure that she was well taken care of.

Then, just a few days before Justice predicted the first snowfall of that season, there was a knock on the door. Instantly, the woman was tense, the bowl she was washing clenched in tight fists. Sans could understand why she would be on edge, as no one ever came here, but who could it be at the door then? He summoned a sharp bone to his hand, ready to defend her as necessary, but waited for her signal.

The voice at the door was masculine and deep, not too unlike his voice, but something about it sent a chill down his spine. Sans tightened his grip on the bone in hand as Justice went to speak to whoever was at the door. As quietly as he could, he used a shortcut to make his way closer to the front of the house to listen in.

“Determination.” Justice’s voice was icy as she spoke. “To what do I owe the pleasure of you being here with the other five mages? I thought the Council was largely disbanded.”

“It is,” the man, Determination, responded. “However, we have noticed a substantial change in your surrounding habitat lately. A lot of work has been done here in just under two years, has it not? I’m sure you had  _ help  _ with that.” The ice in the man’s tone was somehow worse than Justice’s own, and Sans somehow knew that mage was talking about him. He had half a mind to run, but a hand came to rest on his shoulder.

Before he could even move to strike, damn his ease from living here so long, magical chains appeared and wrapped around him. They were vice-like, gripping his bones tight enough that they groaned of their own accord. Another mage, this one with eyes that glowed a pale blue, faced him, her face worn and sorrowful. The chains were heavy, seeming to bear whatever weight this mage was carrying. 

“I have the monster in my custody, Justice,” she said, her voice higher than he expected, but still something tragic. “It would be best if you just decide to cooperate with us from now on, and he will be spared from harm.”

Even from where he was, Sans could feel the tense crackle of magic in the air, signifying the start of a fight or what would soon be one. Despite this tension, Justice still seemed calm, her face set into a trained mask of neutrality. Sans had learned to look through this mask awhile back, and he could tell that she was both livid and terrified. The blue-eyed mage led him outside to the front yard, where all the other mages, Justice included, were now standing. 

Determination was easy to spot from the group, standing close to the middle with blazing red eyes and a confident posture. Sans was brought to stand next to him, the chains preventing him from moving or using a shortcut to put distance between them. The red-eyed mage glanced him up and down, then turned to Justice.

“ _ This _ is why you decided to stop responding to any of us?” he sneered, upper lip curling. “For a monster who we sealed up over a millennium ago? You protect, house, and feed him, and for what? We put them into their prison for a reason, Justice!”

“A reason I never agreed with in the first place,” she countered calmly, though Sans could see the tension building. “I saw no reason to continue things in the way we had, and we could have solved it through diplomacy. Yet you were the one who suggested that we take them all, deny them freedom, and force them to live in conditions that we would hesitate to put another human into.”

Determination growled and shoved Sans’s shoulder, forcing him closer to Justice. The other five mages seemed to be ready to leap to one of the other’s aid, but none moved from where they stood in a small semi-circle. Justice’s hands clenched into fists, and the skeleton could see the worry in her eyes.

“If he is worth redeeming, then judge his soul,” the red-eyed mage said from behind him. “If monsters are truly worth bringing back to the Surface, judge his soul, and we can be done with this whole fiasco.” Sans began to sweat at these words, knowing that if this were to happen, it would be disastrous.

Monsters in the Underground hadn’t taken kindly to being locked away. While he was nowhere near the level of hatred as some, Sans’ hands were most assuredly not clean. He had dusted several monsters, both for protection and to send a message to others. His soul bore the marks of what he had done and what others had done to him in return. Monsterkind would be doomed unless they found a soul that had just been formed and birthed from the Underground.

Justice seemed to hesitate for a moment, then raised her right hand, the gem in the ring on her middle finger glowing brightly. She made a “come hither” sort of motion, and Sans felt a tug on his soul, but nothing happened. A frown came to the mage’s face, and she repeated the gesture, but with a harsher movement. Still, aside from the harshness of the tug increasing, nothing came of it. Determination seemed to grow impatient.

“Well?” he huffed. “Why haven’t you summoned his soul yet?”

“I seem to be unable to,” she said, a note of befuddlement coloring her tone. “My skills have not been lackluster as of late, so that means that he must be a Judge in his world.”

“Or your judgment has become clouded with bias!” Determination seemed livid, grabbing Sans by the chains binding him and yanking him backward. “You defied the Council one too many times, you’ve become a  _ traitor _ to humanity, and for that, he will pay the price with his dust!”

Faster than he could even process, Sans was suddenly enclosed with golden spears rising from the ground. They reminded him of Undyne’s spears, only much stronger and with a brighter glow to them. Justice’s eyes were aflame with anger, almost blinding with how much light she was putting out just from her eyes. Another mage, one with a soft purple glow to their eyes, pulled him out of the way the moment the spears were let down.

“Your fight is with me, Determination, and it always has been,” the yellow-eyed mage growled, hostility rolling off her in waves. “So leave him out of this, and let’s settle the score like we should have all those centuries ago.”

Without wasting another second, Determination summoned a sword of red magic and charged at Justice, blade raised. Justice had her spears at the ready, one heavier one in hand to parry any attacks coming her way and smaller ones to throw and try to get the other mage away from her. The blows came quickly and hit hard on both sides, leaving Sans to wonder who the victor of this fight would be.

All too quickly, it seemed, both mages came to a sudden halt, all blows ceasing entirely. Determination’s back was to Sans, and he could see a brightly glowing golden spear sticking out from what appeared to be just off to the left of his back. The other mages held their breath, then the red-eyed mage crumbled into dust, not unlike how monsters did when they died. Silence still rang out over the small clearing in front of the cottage, and no one dared even to breathe.

Justice appeared not much better, her breathing ragged, and her clothing torn from cuts and blood dripping down her face. After a moment, she stood a little straighter, sighing softly. Her eyes made contact with Sans’, the yellow glow dimming out to a much more natural shade of brown, and her body dissipated into the wind just like Determination had before her.

An agonized shriek tore from Sans before he could stop himself, the magical chains falling from his body as he ran to the small dust pile. Justice’s dust glittered faintly in the cold sunlight, and he carefully picked it up. Another mage, this one with a darker blue glow in their eyes, came to kneel next to him, holding out a small vial to him. Sans took it with a small amount of hesitation.

“She’ll come back,” the mage explained. “We all do eventually. When we die, there’s another mage that will get chosen, and the memories and abilities will come back to them when they get selected, and the dust is given to them. It’s probably going to take a while, but there’s a reason we carry vials with us.”

The other mages were already picking up the dust of both Determination and Justice but allowed him to keep his vial. The lighter blue-eyed mage sighed from beside him once they had finished their tasks, appearing sad.

“We have to send you back, you know,” she said, looking at him with regret. “We don’t want to send you back, but we have to. Nothing will have changed in your home, but they will have felt as little passage of time as possible. Time is different on the Surface and in the Underground, so it could be a year for us here by the time a new mage is selected but two days for you all.”

Sans knew he couldn’t protest against it, but he knew that it would be a while before he found Justice again. His soul was aching, begging him to try and find her, but there was no point to it now. Her dust was in his vial, and he knew that there would be some way to see her soon. The other five remaining mages sent him back to the Underground after that, wishing him well and hoping he wasn’t in too much trouble. 

As expected, the ache in his soul only seemed to grow once he was back home, knowing that there was something just gone from his life. Papyrus seemed to pick up on this, easing up on him a lot more when they were at home and helping him to get back into the swing of things. It turns out that Sans was gone for a week’s worth of time in the Underground, and his brother had been worried sick about him. 

Three days after Sans returned from the Surface, a human came through the Ruins and into Snowdin. For whatever reason, it was a child, but the child reminded him an awful lot of Determination. A key difference, however, was that this child was giving mercy to everyone they came across and spreading hope that the monsters could be free. Sans followed them around, making sure they knew their place and that they weren’t becoming too violent with any monsters. 

Much to his surprise, the child set monsters free from the Underground, and all got to witness the stars together for the first time. Sans found it bittersweet, noting that the season was becoming cooler again, near the anniversary of Justice’s death. He thumbed the vial of dust he kept on his person quietly.

“Hey!!!” a voice suddenly shouted. “Wait, I need to talk to you!!!” Someone was charging up the hill towards the monsters, all of them instantly on high alert for danger. Sans was there with them on the defense, but a glimmer of glowing yellow eyes changed his mind immediately. He dispersed his magic and raced over to meet the person, crying tears of happiness.

“I waited a whole  _ year _ for you to get out of there,” Justice said, tears welling up in the glow of their yellow eyes. “Do you know how hard it was for me just to sit and twiddle my thumbs?”

“I have some ideas,” Sans said, wiping away the tears as they fell. “Stars above, I can say it now. I love ya, Justice.” A smile rose to both of their faces, and Justice’s forehead gently rested against Sans’.

“I love you too, and I would wait for another millennium just for you.”

**Author's Note:**

> This was a story I started about mid-March or so, and I'm just now finishing it. Oh well.
> 
> Come bother me on [my blog](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/creative-poptart)!!


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